Manu Pillai

Manu S. Pillai is the author of The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore (2015), Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji), and most recently, The Courtesan, the Mahatma & the Italian Brahmin: Tales from Indian History (2019). Formerly chief of staff to Dr Shashi Tharoor MP, he has in the past worked at the House of Lords in Britain, and with the BBC on their Incarnations history series. Written over six years and researched in three continents, Manu’s first book, The Ivory Throne won the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar. His other writings have appeared in The Hindu, Open Magazine, the Times of India, Hindustan Times, The New Statesman, Mint Lounge and other publications.

Attending Session

March 26, 2022 ● 3.20 pm
The Raja Who Painted Maharajas - Manu Pillai on the princes of India through the works of Ravi Verma. In conversation with Priyadarshinee Guha

March 26, 2022 ● 6.10 pm
Italian Brahmins to Firpos - Manu Pillai, Isabelle Nardi and Gianluca Rubagotti on Italian footprints across India. In conversation with Sujaan Mukherjee